Dutton-Miller debate to be held in Rancho Cucamonga

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Two longtime Republican lawmakers competing for a hotly contested congressional seat will face off at a forum on Wednesday in this city.

State Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, and Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, are vying to represent the new 31st District Congressional District, which covers Rancho Cucamonga, a part of Upland, Redlands, Colton and surrounding areas.

Miller said he looks forward to listening to voters in the 31st District and sharing his views on how to get the Inland Empire economy moving again.

"The Inland Empire is still recovering from the largest national downturn since the Great Depression, and with California unemployment still hovering above 10 percent, we need effective leadership and a serious plan to bring back lost jobs," Miller said in a statement.

The lawmaker recently moved to a home in Rancho Cucamonga.

"My No. 1 priority in Congress will be to use my seniority and experience, as I have in the past, to turn our economy in a positive direction so as to create new jobs and keep food on the tables of hard-working families throughout our region," Miller said.

While Miller touts his seniority in Congress, Dutton has painted his opponent as both a Washington insider and a local outsider.

"The real difference is he's an out-of-towner," Dutton said.

"He's from Diamond Bar and represents Orange County, and, for the past 10 years, he's tried to claim he's been involved in San Bernardino. Just here in the last couple of months, he never knew anything about the Ontario airport, and now he wants to get involved. I've been working on that for the last two years in the Legislature, trying to bring that to the table. The fact is, I've lived in the district. What people are going to decide is do they want somebody moving in from the outside."

Miller's campaign manager, Chris March, said Miller has long been associated with this area.

"Gary Miller is not an outsider. He's represented San Bernardino County for 14 years as a member of Congress and has spent 40 years building homes in the Inland Empire," Marsh said.

On Thursday, Miller is hosting a House subcommittee hearing to discuss the issue of local control for L.A./Ontario International Airport. Ontario officials have been trying to get local control of the struggling airport for years.

Miller will be joined at the hearing by Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino. Baca has not officially endorsed Miller, but his cross-party support for the fellow House incumbent is clear.

"I think Gary Miller has been and will continue to be a great asset to the Inland Empire," Baca said.

"He knows the area and he has a lot of experience and seniority, which is very important when it comes to getting things done in Washington. He sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Financial Services Committee, which deal with critical issues impacting our communities. Gary and I are two senior members of Congress. We have the combined experience and ability to work together on a bipartisan basis to continue to help improve the quality of life for people in the Inland Empire."

Dutton said Miller has outspent him in the election 11-to-1.

Dutton said the amount of money being spent on behalf of his opponent indicates concern from Miller's supporters of his chances.

"I feel thrilled that I must be a real threat," Dutton said. "The Realtor association spent over a million dollars, and, frankly, as somebody who works in real estate, if they've got that kind of money to burn, maybe they should start reducing commissions. They obviously have more money than they know what to do with. It doesn't surprise me. It's a good-old-boy network. This is basically the power brokers from D.C. wanting to keep a member of the good-old-boy club in. That would be one of the things we end up debating about. I don't want D.C. telling the people who should be our representative."